Agartala: Tripura government has extended Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) for another six months to take stringent actions against militancy in the state, official sources said on Sunday.

The decision to extend the act (AFSPA) for another six months was taken in the recently held meeting of the state-level coordination committee (SLCC) on security affairs headed by Chief Secretary, S K Panda, an official of the state home department said.

The act is in force fully in 34 police stations and partly in six police station areas out of the total 70 police station areas in the state.

The act was first introduced in the state in 1997 when the state was at the peak of insurgency.

The act provides sweeping power to the paramilitary forces and army to conduct raids or arrest any person in the area without arrest warrant.

The Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT), a tribal based political party in the state had long been demanding for repeal of the act on the plea that innocent tribal people were being harassed by the security forces in the name of curbing insurgency.

Even as four decade old insurgency was tamed in Tripura considerably, two outlawed outfits have their camps in neighbouring Chittagong Hill Tract and Syllhet region of Bangladesh and occasionally sneaks into the state for subversive activities, officials said. (Agencies)